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All Aboard! (The Problem of Lemmings in World of Tanks)

It happens too often: 3/4 of the team rolls off in the same direction like a line of ants hellbent on losing. The idea, assuming there is one, is that there is safety and strength in numbers. On the surface this should be true, but players who know the game have witnessed too many losses when the lemming conductor calls.

Why doesn’t it work? Before answering that question, let’s look at the rare occasions when it does. When lemming trains succeed, it’s usually because they keep pushing. Every enemy tank they encounter is overwhelmed and dispatched to the garage while the train keeps grinding forward. Three reds struggle to hold their position while 7-8 greens surround them – tracked, racked and whacked.

It doesn’t work because, unfortunately, that’s not the norm. What generally happens is 7-8 greens encounter those three reds and stop moving. They take partial cover, fire from behind one another and practically paint artillery bullseyes on their tanks. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the map, 2-3 greens get overwhelmed by 4-5 reds and the reds push through.

You’ve seen this before: “Help!”, “Attention to Sector ##!”, “Requesting fire on…”, then silence, then the sound of the base capture alarm. It’s frustrating, saying the least, for those of us who are counted among the tiny pockets of resistance left behind by the train.

So please, if you’re new to the game or an old dog with bad habits, have the self respect to say no to lemming trains. Actually respond when a weak flank calls for help. And in the event you find yourself an unwitting part of a lemming train (sometimes we lead them through no fault of our own), please, in the name of all that is good and holy, keep pushing.